NFL playoff picture: What does Steelers-Ravens mean for AFC standings

Game result: The Ravens clobbered the Steelers, which means Baltimore is in the playoffs. The two teams are tied atop the AFC North right now, but Pittsburgh owns the slimmest of tiebreaker victories right now. The Steelers face the Chiefs and Bengals over the last two weeks, so anything can happen still.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens square off in Week 16 as part of the first Saturday slate of the 2024 season. The day opens with Texans-Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET and follows with Steelers-Ravens at 4:30 p.m. The Steelers won the first matchup between these two in Pittsburgh and enter the matchup with a one-game lead in the AFC North. The Ravens are a 6.5-point favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook for this matchup.

Pittsburgh is 10-4 and has already clinched a playoff berth. They are currently the No. 3 seed with a one-game lead on the Texans among division leaders and a one-game deficit to the Bills. If they win the game, they will clinch the division and likely would end up as either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff bracket. If they lose the game, they would drop into a tie with the Ravens heading into a tough final stretch.

After this game in Baltimore, the Steelers host Kansas City and Cincinnati in the final two weeks of the season.

Baltimore is 9-5 and with their win last week over the Giants coupled with Pittsburgh’s loss in Philadelphia, they are firmly in the mix for the division title. They are currently in fifth place, a half-game up on the Broncos and Chargers. They will clinch a playoff berth with a win or tie on Saturday, or losses or ties by the Dolphins and Colts on Sunday. A win over the Steelers moves them into a tie for first place and the teams would start moving down the list of tiebreakers. Speaking of which...

If the Steelers win, the most significant tiebreaker implication for either team would be conference record for positioning against other teams in the playoff race. If the Ravens win, they move into a tie and will have split the head-to-head tiebreaker. They would head into Week 17 with equal 3-2 division records. If they both win their remaining two games, the next tiebreaker would be common games. It looks like the Steelers would claim that one by virtue of the common game against the Raiders. Pittsburgh beat Las Vegas while Baltimore lost the matchup. The Steelers are 7-3 against common opponents, better than the Raven’s 7-4 record.